ingenius move
by enferciel
Summary: "You burned my cheeks, idiot!" – in which, Natsu makes a stupid move on Lucy on the behalf of Mirajane. Nalu.


**ingenius move**

 **.**

(the shades of light rosy color spreads across her porcelain-like skin)

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ღ

Happy's always believed that Natsu will never _ever_ understand his cat-love affection towards Charles since his knowledge is like _minus_ when it comes to love … in a romantic kind.

But that is until _she_ joins the guild.

She is cheerful, bright and sunny with her sun-kissed blonde hair and Happy adores her himself—mind you, he is a very manly cat, not like Panther Lily but surely he is manly in a cat term—since she is very much similar to his long dead friend, Lisanna except the fact that she comes from a noble family and her hair is blonde and she has hazel eyes—actually they're both very different, Happy concludes silently.

Oh, Happy found another similarity! Their names both start with _L_! Of course, why did it never occured to him before, silly him. And continuing his wonderful story, Natsu befriended with Lucy, this at-the-first-glance-you-know-she-is-weird girl and helped her join her dream guild—Fairy Tail and they became bestfriends, teammates and hopefully something _more_.

Even though Happy doubts he can fall in love. However, there is a saying, _there's a first time for everything._ And in a way, he supposes it is bound to happen.

The blue cat nibbles on his fish as he watches his partner in crime from afar in a creppy pedophile way.

;-+-+-+-;

It's something that always goes unnoticed by Natsu. As you know, Natsu is pretty dense when it comes to _certain_ things and everyone's not all that astonished when it comes to Natsu being ever so oblivious. It's not something Natsu notice unless it's something glaringly obvious.

And by glaringly, it means _glaringly obvious._

"So, Lucy." Natsu began, eyeing the text very intently. "I don't get it."

Lucy rolls her eyes. Of course he wouldn't and will not. She knows that much. Well, if she had anticipated what will come afterwards… nevertheless, Lucy just mutters something incoherent about him having the brain size of a peanut or something. Something she will definitely regret later on.

"The girl keeps blushing when the boy says or do something. Why?"

"How the hell would I know." Lucy merely shrugs.

"Luce, it's your book." Natsu deadpans.

"And what are you doing, reading my book and all that?" Lucy finally looks up from the magazine she'd been reading, narrowing her eyes at the salmon-haired boy who's currently lying flat on his back with his arms raised, holding what appears to be Lucy's first novel that's been published this very month and oh, Lucy was very excited and happy at the time, just fyi.

"Well, I just want to buy one! So, why is this girl being so weird and blushing and stuff, why?" Natsu persisted with a slightly whiny tone. He is curious and it needs to be satiated.

"Gah." It's driving her up the wall. It's supposed to be her day off for god's sake and seriously, Natsu? Barging in so early in the morning? She was happy when she'd found out that Natsu bought the book but she realized later on that he probably won't understand. It's a romance book – there's no way in hell that Natsu will understand this sort of _adult_ stuff with his dense personality and all. Yes, to Lucy, he is a child. "Get out of here, I'm trying to enjoy my day off! Ask Mira instead or Erza or Gray or – "

Her voice wans as he flies out of the window. Forced, he may add.

* * *

"Ara, Natsu, so that's why you are so upset this morning." Mirajane smiles her nicest smile except it's not really nice at all. Behind the smile, there is this wicked, evil plan and even her aura radiates so. Natsu's too oblivious to realize that though.

Natsu nods while munching the balls of fire Mira gave him. It's delicious. Going to Mira is seriously the best choice he has done since morning.

"You see Gajeel and Levy over there, Natsu?" Mirajane points to the direction of the couple who's bickering about something. Levy's cheeks are oddly pink though. Is that what you call a blush? Funny Natsu never seems to realize it.

"Um, yeah."

"You notice something different?"

"The blush?"

Mirajane claps her hands to encourage him on. "As expected of you."

Natsu, beaming with childish proud, continues to stare at them to find more details he might be missing. Maybe Levy and Gajeel are the answer and perhaps, that way, he can understand the riddles of blushing in the book – seriously, why is Lucy writing something so hard to understand? She must be the epitome of genius.

"Do you know why they are blushing?"

Without a second thought, he answers. "Because Gajeel's lame?"

Mirajane shakes her head in disapproval. Natsu's face falls but he is not going to give up. _Not going to give up_ , mark his words. "Okay, give me a minute to solve this."

Minutes pass by. Mirajane, though amused, is getting rather impatient with Natsu. Natsu's forehead is scrunched in consternation that she almost feels bad about it but like stated above, no one's really astonished with his inability to understand romantic emotion.

"Well, so the answer is – "

"Wait, wait! I know the answer! I almost find it, wait a sec, Mira – "

Mirajane feels kind of guilty but waiting for his answer forever doesn't sound like a good option – at all. "It's because they like each other." She finishes.

Natsu blinks. Okay, it's a very unexpected answer.

At least for Natsu.

"When two people like each other, they start blushing, you know?" Mirajane puts her finger to her chin, posing a very pensive pose. What a good acting skill, indeed. "– which gets me thinking, why Lucy isn't blushing around you, Natsu? Isn't that a little weird?"

Wait, if you think about It … it makes sense. Why isn't she?

"Or… Lucy, deep down inside, secretly hates you?" Mirajane's eyes widen in horror while gasping. She definitely deserves an Oscar for acting so damn… evil. She puts on a sad expression while patting Natsu's shoulder as if to say, poor you.

"Wait, that – that." Natsu seems to be at loss for words. "Wait, Lucy hates me? But… why?"

Well, today Lucy seemed to be very pissed at him. Also, he almost always screwed up the mission which makes her poor and unable to pay her rent. Also, he always annoyed the heck out of her… those are enough reason to hate someone right? But he doesn't want Lucy to hate him.

"I don't know Natsu. It's probably something you did… or probably she hates you from the very beginning?" Mira's really good at acting all sympathetic and all. She feels a tinge of guilt from doing this but ah, it's for fun. Imagine what will happen afterwards! _Hang on, Natsu_ , is what she says to herself inwardly.

"Well, there's only one way to know. You should head over to her apartment. Probably she has blushed before but we just didn't notice?" Mira suggested. "And Natsu… there are several ways to make her blush – to determine whether she likes you or not."

"And what's that?" asks the suddenly very gloomy Natsu.

"Say something with the word love in it or get into her personal space."

And off he goes.

* * *

"Seriously, Natsu? What brings you here, again?" is what Lucy says upon seeing him on her doorstep. Every word is laced with sarcasm and mockery which makes Natsu even sadder. "Also, why knock? Just barge in as usual." Again, the sarcasm.

When Natsu doesn't respond, Lucy starts getting a little worried. "Um, Natsu, what's wrong?"

Lucy makes a gesture for him to come in and he obliges without replying to her question. He stays silent and promptly seated himself on her chair. At this point, Lucy is starting to get a little, tiny bit anxious.

"I love food."

"Is that why you're looking so sad, why did I even bother." Lucy deadpans. Really, she thought it was something serious for a second and it's just Natsu being Natsu. Perhaps, Gray wil pop up a few minutes from now through the window and Erza will be checking out her underwear in the wardrobe which is the reason why she _only_ buys cute bras.

If more, Natsu looks sadder after hearing her unenthusiastic response. If that's even possible. His shoulders sag even more and weirdly, he is getting teary-eyed.

"I – " Natsu suddenly stands up from his chair and walks over to her spot. He doesn't stop there. He leans down, so close to her face until she can feels his breath on her face. What? Seriously? What has gotten into him? Is it because of her rudeness this morning?

Then, he just sort of looms over her face for like, half minute before pulling back with expression full of… _despair._

It was sort of silent for a while. The deafening kind of silent.

"You don't like me, Lucy?"

"What." What does that have to do with anything, honestly? Lucy starts getting more confused and confused as minutes tick by. Natsu is all silent after that, seeming to be in deep thought. Lucy just stares, feeling very, very confused.

So, she hates him? Wait, she really does? She doesn't blush at all. He had followed Mira's advice accordingly and it failed? So, she really do hates him? But… but… no, he won't allow this. Lucy hating him is simply unthinkable. Lucy is his precious, precious _nakama_ and he will preserve this precious, precious friendship no matter what.

A bright idea pops up in his head.

Of course, Lucy notices when Natsu rose from his – _her_ chair but thinks nothing of it. Surely she notices after staring hard at him for like, minutes. Well, it's probably him and his weird antics again –

Fire fists press up against both of her cheeks.

And oh, what a weird antic it is.

Lucy is dumbfounded.

* * *

"YOU BURNED MY CHEEKS, IDIOT!"

* * *

;-+-+-+-;

Later that day, Lucy is groaning in pain while cursing Mira in her head for manipulating Natsu into doing her evil deeds. Thankfully, there's Wendy who's ready with her healing magic – ah, what a good girl she is, a far cry from both Mira and Natsu. Seriously, when Wendy is done, she is going to bash Natsu's head against the wall, no matter how guilty and worried he looks right now. As for Mira, a _special punishment_ is reserved just for her.

.

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"I am so sorry, Luce." Natsu attempts to apologize. "So very sorry. I just want you to like me."

"Like?" Lucy raises a suspicious eyebrow.

"Yeah, like. So, Mira told me that people blush around someone they like and like, you never blush around me and then, Mira suggested that you probably hated me and then, I _heated_ your cheeks so you'd blush because – "

"The thought of you hating me is just unthinkable."

And for some unknown reason, red hues spread all over her cheeks like wildfire and those are the most beautiful shades of color Natsu has ever seen.

.

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"I didn't think he will go that far." Mira chuckles with no trace of guilt.

Her cheeks are alright now, but _still_.

* * *

 _end_

 **notes** sorry if this is bad, I just. My writing has gone terrible over the course of one year, probably? Or less. Idk. And this makes no sense whatsoever. Thanks for reading!


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